Hollow structural block



the adjacent edges, in order to provide a bond between the adjacent units. The bituminous layer over the metal provides a bond between the surfaces covered and the cement .It is of sumcien-t plasticity that upon rupture of the metal or separation of the metal from the glass it yields slightly without rupture and maintains a hermetic seal within the block at all times. Even if rupture of the plastic should occur, the edges at the point of rupture would soon weld together. Likewise, it provides a protective coating about the metal to prevent contactbetween it and the corrosive agents in the cement.

As shown in Figure 4 the protective bituminous layer may be of suflicient thickness completely to bridge across the space between contiguous blocks. In this form of the invention glass blocks 20 are of substantially the same construction as disclosed in Figure l 01' the drawing. The edges of the halves of the block are sealed by layers 2| of solder and a thick layer 22 of plastic material such as asphalt is superposed upon the metal in such manner that when the blocks are laid in a wall the adjacent layers of bituminous material coalesce to provide a web or partition dividing the cementing material 23 longitudinally into halves 24 and 26. These halves, as will be observed, are so separated from each other that the thrusts exerted by the cement perpendicularly of the faces of the blocks, due to thermal or other forms of expansion, are absorbed in the plastic material and the tendency of such forces to rupture the blocks along the line of seal is reduced or substantially eliminated. The bituminous material in the layer 22 01' course completely covers the solder and metal and prevents corrosion by the mortar. At the same time it rupture between the glass and metal occurs, or i! the metal is ruptured the seal is maintained by the plastic.

Bituminous material such as asphalt, still re i.

dues from thezreflning of petroleum, and similar substances are inexpensive and particularly sati factory as coating agents. However, other relatively yielding and inert materials such as vinyl resins oi the type of vinyl acetal or the co-polymer of vinyl chloride or vulcanized or unvulcanized rubber might also be employed in a similar capacity.

Only certain of the preferred forms 0! the invention have been shown and described, and it will be apparent that these are merely exemplary and that numerous modifications may be made therein without departure from the spirit oi the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: I

1. A wall comprising superposed hollow blocks of glass, the blocks formed or sections which are bonded together by means of solder, the solder in turn being covered with a layer of bituminous material, andthe blocks being bonded together at their edges by mortar.

2. A wall constructed of glass blocks which comprise tray-like sections, the edges of the sections being superposed and bonded together by metallicsolder, the blocks being superposed and bonded together by means 01' a cement, the metallic bond between the halves of the blocks being insulated from the cementby means of a layer oi bituminous material. a

3. A construction as deilned in claim 2 in which the covering 01 bituminous material is of sumcient thickness to extend to the edge of the adjacent block.

4. A hollow building block of vitreous material comprising two halves, each halt being or traylike structure and having side walls and a shoulder projecting outwardly beyond the side walls and extending peripherally about the halves, the edges of the side walls of the two halves being joined together by means of metal bonded to the surface of the glass of the side walls, the space between the shoulders of the two halves forming an open channel about the perimeter of the block, adapted to receive mortar for securing adjacent blocks in a building wall together, the metal being covered by a layer of plastic material which however does not fill the channel.

SAMUEL F. COX. 

